That festive feeling…

I’m feeling all Christmassy. It’s a bit hard not to, it is everywhere already. The trouble is it usually means I peak too early and then by the time it’s here I wish it was over already.

Elsie is already trying to decide what date would be best to erect the Christmas tree and Tom has written three letters to Santa (who, I might add he has never actually believed in) and left them under my pillow. Does he think I’m Santa?

Even from a young age Tom was never a believer in anything magical, which quite frankly I was completely astounded by, often.

I can remember him losing first tooth and the long and very complex discussion we had about the tooth fairy. How does she get in? Well she is magic and very, very tiny, I tell him, she can fit through almost anything? How does she manage to carry a tooth then? She turns it in to fairy dust so it is like powder and very light. Where does she live, how can she get to all the children in one night? There are lots of tooth fairies not just one, they train very hard to become a tooth fairy it is a very special job. Where does she get the money from? Oh for gods sake it’s real ok…. just go to sleep!

I have always believed. As a child I wanted to believe in everything magical from Cinderella (granted this is a somewhat tarnished fairytale now), to witches, pixies and well, fairies in general. Father Christmas? Goes without saying doesn’t it?

Elsie is her mother’s daughter and even at the age of 14 will not actually say out loud that Father Christmas doesn’t exist. Just in case. Maybe it’s a girl thing and we just want to believe that all these things are real.

When Elsie was little she absolutely believed in fairies and believed that one day she would be a fairy. She was rarely seen without a pair of wings stuck to her back and I sometimes worried that one day she would throw herself out of the window just to see if she could actually fly. It’s a time I look back on with very fond memories.

I did all those things that parents do. Little letters in the tiniest writing from the tooth fairy. Replies from Father Christmas, not typed ones from companies, hand written ones on burnt edge paper in gold pen and always used the same pen for their special present from Santa. Always the same gold paper and green ribbon every year without fail and every year Tom said ‘thanks Mum’!

There was always a small handwritten note inside the present to make it perfectly clear that this special present was from Santa not from Mummy. Elsie always squealed with delight at the thought of her special present, she fell for it for years and I loved it. Tom on the other hand was less than convinced. He was the sort of boy who needed to go on ‘The Polar Express’ but of course that’s never going to happen, is it?

Once you lose that belief in all things fairytale you are officially a grown up and let’s be honest who wants to be one of those!

Tom has a very expensive Christmas list this year but I don’t think it is particularly hard for children to rack up a list that enters easily in to the four to five hundred pound mark these days. He wants a custom scooter. The one he showed me is worth more than my car and as for the trainers, well.. that’s a whole other mortgage!

So in an effort to get ahead of the game I have started my shopping already. Yes, it’s early but I, one: can’t afford to leave it all to the last-minute, not if we want to eat as well and two: I hate shopping. I know, unusual for a women but true none the less.

I can honestly say there are not many things I generally dislike but I seriously hate shopping. I don’t even do my food shopping in an actual supermarket, I have it delivered. Not because I can’t be bothered or don’t have time but because shopping brings out a side of me that not many people should have to see.

People say they ‘enjoy’ shopping or love going to ‘have a browse’ around the shops. Why? No one ever looks like they are enjoying themselves while they are shopping, in fact most people look like they would rather be at the North Pole in a swim suit than trudging around a busy shopping centre spending money on things they don’t need.

I am not one of life’s browsers. I have a list, I go in, I get the things on my list and get air lifted out as soon as is humanly possible. I won’t say I don’t deviate from my list because I do. I am not adverse to treating myself or picking up a little something for the home but it really does have to grab me and quickly or I will walk away.

I can think of one hundred things I would rather do than shop, so if I don’t get it done early, it wont get done because the closer it gets to Christmas the busier and less friendly the towns’ become, the more time I will be spending at home in the warm.

Exciting times at work this week… We have booked the Christmas Party!

Now that does put me in a good mood. I love a party but I especially love the Christmas Party. What’s not to love it’s free food, drink and entertainment, in the shape of a cabaret (and very drunk staff), what more could you ask for. It’s hilarious.

We always do a ‘secret Santa’ which is even more hilarious still and there is much dancing, laughing and merriment. The secret Santa is the cause of much debate at work. People are always trying to opt out, which is absolutely not allowed. It is compulsory I’m afraid. I make the rules.

It’s supposed to be fun. It doesn’t matter if the person who picked you got you a bath sponge and some body wash, they are not saying you smell. They probably had no clue what to get and thought it would at least be useful. Please don’t take it so personally.

Last year one of the girls got a bottle of shampoo, granted it was an expensive bottle but it was shampoo. She was not happy. Doesn’t she wash her hair? I wash my hair, not very often as it’s a bloody mop but I wash it. I would never buy a shampoo that cost more than a couple of pounds so a nice expensive one would be a bit of treat wouldn’t it?

I am however sad about one thing. This year it has fallen a week later than normal and it is buddy’s birthday that weekend. She will not be coming. I can barely write it down, as it makes me sooooooo very sad.

I can not imagine going without her, I do hope she is reading this and feeling terrible about deserting us for her own Birthday party! I mean seriously, priorities right? 😉

The three of us, known as buddies are inseparable at work, we are kindred spirits, my life is definitely better for having them in it, even if it is only for a few hours a day. It is a miracle though that we haven’t been sacked for laughing or swearing or being completely mischievous (which by the way, they would blame me for), although that is not entirely true, of course.

In fact the other day we were in the tea room and someone came in to ask us to keep the noise down we were laughing so much. Proper belly laughing, the kind that is good for your soul. I love them and work would not be the same without either of them.

It is rare to find people who you truly connect with in life but even rarer in the workplace.

I am still clinging on to the hope that she will change her mind and dump her family and friends in favour of a night of debauchery at the Christmas party. However, I fear we may be the ones losing out.

….. just as an added extra Tom is standing next to me at the moment twittering on about his day and has just come out with ‘well you wont believe it I had Maths today and I wasn’t expecting that, it really ruined my day’.

He has the memory of a goldfish that one which I’m afraid he does get from me!